February 26, 2012

Said George Bush, that one time. I quoted him, with fondness and enthusiasm, when I saw this high pie in the bakery window.

So we got a couple slices of pie and cups of black coffee and went over to the seating area, which looked like this:

Forget it. It's Madison. Enlarge to read. Read and laugh or weep or whatever. The pie wasn't even that good. The decor was flaky but the crust was not. It was rubbery, and the forks were made from super-thin plastic. Not a workable combination.

In a glass case, there was this National Organization for Women display:

ADDED: In the photo with me holding a cup of coffee, the sign right above "Kill the Bill!" says "Info Station/location/West Gallery/2nd Floor/(Behind the Flags)." That's directing you to the display that disrespected the Veterans Memorial, which was the subject of last night's "A year ago today at the Wisconsin protests.". The video at that post begins with the flags referred to on that sign. It continues with a defense from the protesters that because they are using the back of the monument: "If you take a picture of this, you can't tell its a war memorial." But the sign directing folks to the "Info Station" said look for the flags.

I would not, as a matter of principle, give business with those signs on the wall. And as it turns out, you discovered a good reason not to; the food was not good. Ugly food, ugly politics -- you shoulda asked for your money back.

So, what kind of pie IS that? It looks like ham and onion to me. And it doesn't look very good - all the filling piled in the middle with a heavy ring of crust around it; might as well just scoop out the middle and eat that..

And I second what poster "F" said. If I go into a place and see signs like that on the wall, I turn around and walk out again.

But the big question, in both cases, is: What are you going to do about it??

What is going to be done about atheists acknowledging that God might exist and those who are pro-abortion acknowledge that children in the womb might exist?

What is going to be done is that, if anyone dare protest when militant atheists and pro-abortionists try to bully and impose their will, or if anyone objects when they are openly mocked and ridiculed for persisting in the truth about God and human life in utero, and if they speak about such things, especially if he or she is in the national public arena, we are going to tell them to shut the hell up and go away and how backward they are that, in their extremism, they are focusing on the wrong thing, which is to defeat Obama, and what they should do instead is to, again, shut the hell up and just vote for Romney like they were told to do.

How dare you engage in discrimination about that pie! Obviously the bakers have their hearts in the right place and who said your standards are the correct ones? Indeed, it is this kind of vicious competition, endless struggle to placate the taste-whims of robber baron capitalism that doesn't allow for everyone to succeed.

The "hate is not a family value" bumperstickers always let me know I'm driving behind an idiot

They are simply being open and honest about themselves -- like other things, they seek the redefinition of "family" and "values," so it is permissible, if not obligatory, for them to go ahead and hate.

First, the pie does not look delicious. Maybe, you stopped in just to take pictures? But you needed an excuse to sit, and you needed to position yourself and your cups of coffee ... so that you could give us the details?

Sure looks like you were the only customers, though.

And, most bakeries know how to bake an apple pie that's high. And, the crust on top is coated in sugar crystals ... And, has juices running out all over.

The secret to a nice high apple pie is to at least double the filling (but triple the cinnamon), then when you put the top crust on, cover it with foil. When the apples start to cook down, the foil keeps the top crust from drying hard and lets it fall a little with the filling. Then take off the foil and let it brown for the rest of the time.

There's nothing worse than a nice high pie that's half air (actually there are nine things that are worse, but you know what I mean).

The real secret to an apple pie is to partially cook the filling in a pot before you put it in the crust. This solves both fundamental problems: First, that the filling will shrink under the top crust otherwise, and second that the crust is always done before the filling is. This works for pretty much any fruit filling. And you don't have to mess around with foil.

MadasHell.....I've always wondered that also. How a small business owner could openly support anti-business policies and politicians. But I suppose it is just advertising to them. If same business owner was in the Jim Crow south, he would probably have no problems having a whites and coloreds drinking fountains and seperate entrances. Hey, its just business.

My mother-in-law was laughingly telling my wife and I last night about a girl that her son dated who just wanted bootie calls and was willing to do threesomes, etc just to keep my brother-in-law interested. I turned to my wife and uttered my regular question - "how's that feminism working out?" - i.e. men have won by tricking women into operating on their terms. My mother-in-law said - "not that well since WHITE MEN are trying to keep women down" (presumably in reference to Rick Santorum, her bete noire du jour)

shouldn't pro-choice people acknowledge that children in the womb might exist? But the big question, in both cases, is: What are you going to do about it?

Most pro-choicers do admit this, when asked to think about it. I may find "children in the womb" (as opposed to "fetuses") as likely as Dawkins finds God or unicorns, but even if I'm wrong there's The Violinist.

I saw the photo of the pie and thought, "Why did Althouse post a photo of a terrible pie?" Apparently you were taken in by the height of the pie and didn't notice the thick, rubbery crust or the dry, insubstantial filling.

The story's handle is preposterous. Certainty of any kind is impossible because cognitive ability is finite and experience is ever both unexpected and partial.

Someone says they're an atheist, a theist, an agnostic. Fine. They're expressing what they think. The fullest possible orgasm is the one which produces death by incineration from sudden release of a quantity of internal heat sufficient to overwhelm the body's circuits. Even that is not for certain plenary orgasm. Noone knows what they're missing.

I'm with Irene. A store whose sideline is selling knitting supplies rather than leftist politics figures to be the better bet for apple pie. If you're looking to buy porn, the leftist bookstore is the better choice, but knitters know what's what with apple pies......Can it really be true that 43% of American women in that age demographic do not have health insurance?

Well, it might not have tasted good, but I'm sure the store owner would have told you it was worth the price. You see, a lot of labor went into the pie, and basic economics informs them that the value of something is determined by the labor that went into it.

Atheism is not the alternative to theism. By its claim to an occult knowledge; reasoning from facts not in evidence; or limited, circumstantial evidence; its members adhere to a faith which they persist in denying.

The only legitimate alternative to theism, which remains compatible with an objective faith (i.e. constrained by a limited frame of reference) is agnosticism.

Each faith should be judged by the principle it engenders. Each individual should be judged by the principles they embrace.

I wonder if they would refuse to serve a group wearing pro Walker buttons etc. Would the mighty dollar win out? Would Pink Dress Guy show up and dump a grande unionista machiatto on 'em.When you test this out, roll two video cams.

Apple pie and motherhood go together naturally. Abortion goes better with espresso coffee....Maybe they felt a good pie would subvert the message. Sylvia's is an excellent soul food restaurant in Harlem, but try ordering watermelon and they will shoot you....Although I'm bound to say that that particular apple pie doesn't look so bad, and there's no real reason why someone who is pro abortion couldn't bake.

To make a good fruit pie filling you really should cooking the filling on the stovetop first. Partly to render the filling down a bit so the pie doesn't sink in the center in the oven. But also to get some serious caramelizing going, the spices toasted a bit and the inevitable juices, really where the flavor is, to thicken.

Note that you don't want to overcook the filling otherwise you'll lose all structure and texture and end up with something more akin to a jam or preserve when the pie fully cooks in the oven.

And seriously. You literally have to hate your customers to serve a pie like that in the picture.

But actually, there is no such thing as an agnostic in practice. An agnostic might say that he does not know one way or the other if God exists, but in his actions, he nevertheless must necessarily act as if God exists or act as if God does not exist.

43% of women have no health insurance. If women are about half the population that would mean that 20% of the entire population has no health insurance IF all men had health insurance. The bogus-ness of this claim is evidence of a gullibility necessary to support liberal positions.

Unfortunately it's how an apple pie filling looks like when it has turned cold, rubbery and lacking both texture and flavor. Basically if you subtracted everything from sliced apples that made it appealing to eat ... well ... this is what would be left.

On another note: one of my favorite pies to make is an apple-pineapple pie. But don't use canned pineapple it won't turn out well. Instead fresh pineapple sliced into chunks caramelized separately from the apple slices and then combined in a bowl just prior to filling the pie shell is the best way.

Don't add sugar to the pineapple. Instead take the pineapple juice and then reduce it. Once the juice has reduced by half then put in the pineapple chunks, mix well for a 1-2 minutes on medium heat and then remove from the heat and cool a couple minutes before combining with the caramelized apple slices.

The sweet tartness of the pineapple works really well with a tart apple. And the pineapple chunks get a crust formed on them so when you bite into the pie slice you get these bursts of juicy pineapple flavor.

More deep dish on apple pie: It is possible that a militant feminist would in some way think that a first rate apple pie is edible propaganda that argues for keeping women barefoot, pregnant, and kitchen bound. Further, these ambivalent feelings would in some way translate into the creation of an unloved apple pie. A second rate apple pie thus becomes a form of passive aggressive protest against kitchen drudgery......There is, however, another reading. I think that many here are letting their hostile feelings towards the ambience of the cafe bleed over into their feelings about the pie. This may not be the greatest apple pie ever, but, by my standards, it looks perfectly acceptable. I feel apple pie should be judged strictly on its merits and not on the political leanings of its bakers.

Here is a quote from the federal department of Health and Human Services describing health insurance data for 2011.

Men aged 18–64 years were more likely than women of the same age to be uninsured. The highest rate of uninsurance occurred among 18- to 24-year-old men (33.0 percent), which was higher than the percentage of women of the same age (27.8 percent). The lowest rate of uninsurance was among adults aged 65 and older, most of whom are eligible for Medicare coverage. The next lowest rate was found among women and men aged 45–64 (15.1 and 17.1 percent, respectively); the sex disparity in this age group is less pronounced than in the younger age groups.

The actual facts: 15.1% not 43% of women 45-64 are not insured. In that age group, and overall, men are more likely to be uninsured than women.

"On another note: one of my favorite pies to make is an apple-pineapple pie."

They had pineapple/peach (my best guess) pie every single day at basic training. I've never seen a recipe for a pineapple/fruit pie but I always wanted to make them.

What I have been doing lately is using canned pie filling but adding fresh blackberries. Cherry/Blackberry is awesome. Pre-made pie crusts are disgusting, but the uncooked frozen rolled up ones aren't bad at all if you run a roller over them a couple of times before making the pie up.

"What I have been doing lately is using canned pie filling but adding fresh blackberries. Cherry/Blackberry is awesome. Pre-made pie crusts are disgusting, but the uncooked frozen rolled up ones aren't bad at all if you run a roller over them a couple of times before making the pie up." - Synova

Honestly you really don't need much of a recipe for a basic fruit pie. The crust recipe is fairly simple and standard and is best made in a food processor. Buying pie crusts is a waste of money when a food processor can make a double pie crust in a few minutes.

Really it's just flour, vegetable shortening and cold water. You just have to make sure to wrap the dough snugly in plastic wrap, -not- a plastic container, and put in the frig for an hour or so to let the dough rest.

After that I divide the dough into two pieces. I put each piece between two sheets of plastic wrap and then use a 12" cast iron frying pan to press down the piece of dough until it's relatively flat. Then I use the rolling pin to even it out into the desired shape.

The pie filling you can do on the stovetop as I commented before.

Now here's where things get a bit odd. I like to play with the shape of the pie sometimes. Sometimes I'll use a shallow square pan and make a square pie.

Or sometimes I'll use a bundt cake pan. You have to be very careful with the crust but with some practice it works out well. I use one crust to line the bundt pan and tear & form the center hole last. Then fill the crust. Cover with the other crust. And then bake **without flipping it over**.

Can't stress that enough. :) Don't flip until it's cooked through and ready to serve.

I like it. The crust is heavier than a typical crust, but has a lot of flavor and the flakiness was appropriate - very buttery, not larded. The apples were very sweet. My slice was not very high, though. Thank you for the tip!